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tv   Newsline  PBS  July 26, 2013 6:00am-6:31am PDT

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welcome to nhk world "newsline," i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. spanish investigators are analyzing the data recorder from a derailed train to learn what happened in the moments before it smashed into a wall on a tight curve. >> and while cambodia's long ruling prime minister seems set to win, but the opposition hopes
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a new strategy will expand its support. >> and japan post office allows aflac to ramp up sales insurance, a move that could help negotiations for a wide ranging free trade deal. spanish investigators are sifting through evidence as they try to determine the c of spain's worst rail accident in decades. it derailed in the northwest killing more than 75 people. investigators are trying to determine why it was traveling so fast and why the driver failed to brake before intering a tight curve. the train went off the tracks near the town of santiago de composte. the speed limit there is 80 kilometers per hour. local media say drivers know this portion of the traffic is difficult to maneuver. the driver was aware that his train was traveling above the speed limit.
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an automatic warning system informed the driver that he need needed to slow down. the paper says the train entered the curve at around 190 kilometers per hour, nearly two and a half times the speed limit. spanish media also report this portion of the rail network was not equipped with an automated braking system. july 27th marks the end of fighting in the korean war. representatives from south korea and the united states have participated in a reception at the u.s. capitol building. they celebrated the alliance between the two koreas. u.s. lawmakers and officials from the south korean embassy in washington jointly hosted the reception. about 200 people attended including people from both countries who fought in the war. >> the korean war has been called the forgotten war, but no more. >> south korean president park geun hye sent kim jong hoon from
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the saenuri party. he expressed gratitude for the support u.s. provided during the war. >> the freedom, peace, and prosperity we enjoy today were possible thanks to the prompt decision made by the u.s. congress. >> u.s. president barack obama is scheduled to give a speech in washington to commemorate the anniversary. north koreans are also preparing to mark the 60th anniversary of the armistice. kim jong-un welcomed the chinese vice president to pyongyang ahead of the event. he is in the capitol to attend the ceremonies on saturday. he reminded kim that many chinese soldiers lost their lives in the war. li noted the peace today was hard earned and called on kim to refrain from doing anything to
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provoke north korea's neighbors. li says they want to resume the six-party talks on north korea's nuclear program. kim replied he supported those efforts, saying they value the traditional friendship with the chinese. the two sides have gone through a period of tension. the chinese imposed sanctions on pyongyang after the north koreans carried out their latest nuclear test in february. president barack obama's administration has decided it will not declare the overthrow of egypt's democratically elected leader a coup. this means the united states can continue to send aid to the country. the military pushed president mohamed morsi out of power at the beginning of the month. raters reports deputy secretary of state william burns briefed lawmakers on the decision. he told them the obama administration is not legally bound to conclude whether morsi's oust was a coup or not. u.s. law prohibits financial aid to be sent to regimes that have
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overthrown a democratically elected government. the americans are giving egypt $1.5 billion this fiscal year. most of the money will be funneled to the military. but president obama has been taking a closer look at the funding. this week he decided to stop the planned delivery of four f-16s. american leaders view egypt as a key partner in the middle east. the country has a peace treaty with the u.s. ally, israel. chinese authorities have ordered a developer to suspend the construction of what could one day be the world's tallest building. they say they haven't officially approved the project. state-run television says the authorities in hunon province suspended just a few days after construction began. the developer says the building will stretch 838 -- in the sky. that would be ten meters higher than the tallest building in the world in the united arab
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emirates. it will take only ten months to complete the 202-story building because it calls for prefabricated modular parts. they have doubts about earthquakes and fires. some developers have been criticized for shortening construction periods more than necessary to quickly recoup investments. tax incentives encourage to create skyscrapers considered a symbol of economic prosperity. kpextives at japanese cosmetic giant kanebo are scrambling to save their company's image. they've had to recall skin whitening products from japan, britain and markets throughout asia. and they've fielded almost 7,000
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complaints from people who say the products leave blotches on their skin. nhk world has the story. >> reporter: kanebo announced a recall of 54 types of skin whitening products in japan in early july. they say they haven't pinpointed the cause of the problems, but the brands all contain a substance developed by the company and approved by japan's ministry of health. kanebo president apologized at the press conference. he promised to cover any medical expenses the customers incur. the company then expanded the recall to ten asian countries and factories including the philippines, malaysia, taiwan, and thailand.
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the philippine government has banned sales of the product. the recall is making headlines across asia. malaysian blogger says whitening products are a big seller among asian women. >> historically and culturally, among asians, there is this perception that if you are whiter skinned or fairer, then you have a higher social standing. that's why most people go for whitening products. >> kanebo executives still don't know how many people have been affected, but they face a tough task of rebuilding consumer confidence at home and abroad. nhk world, tokyo. >> the operator of the fukushima nuclear plant admission days
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after the utility recognized ground water contained high levels of radioactive particles had seeped into the ocean. it took more than one month for the company to admit the leak. tepco officials told a panel of outside experts they had opted to wait until final confirmation of data before recognizing the problem. they say they didn't want to disclose what they called an unconfirmed risk because they feared the information would deal a blow to the local fishing industry. the first signs of ground water contamination were recorded in may inside monitoring wells and the plant's support facility. tepco officials promise they will proceed with the release of any information even if it might raise public concerns. >> translator: we deeply apologize for the shortcomings of management regarding our delayed admission over the leakage of contaminated water. we still need to work hard to develop our ability to communicate with the public.
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>> the head of the expert panel of former chairman of the u.s. nuclear regulatory commission has expressed dis appoiappointm >> this lack of effective communication program diminishes the hard work a lot of people have been doing for tepco. >> the president of tepco and the vice president in charge of nuclear power have agreed to a 10% reduction of their salary for a period of one month. police in western japan have arrested a man in their investigation of a series of murders that shocked a secluded mountain community. the 63-year-old is suspected of killing an elderly woman and of arson. police say he admitted to murdering four other people. the deaths happened in a community of eight households or 14 people in yamaguchi prefecture. most of the residents are seniors. at the beginning of the week police found three bodies in the ruins of two burned down houses. they came across two more bodies
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in other residences. police say all the victims had multiple injuries most likely caused by a blunt object. investigators have been searching for one of the residents of the community who had disappeared. they found the man in the mountains near the community. police say he told them he killed the five people. the crime is generating a lot of attention in japan where the murder rate is low compared to other industrialized nations. cambodia will hold a general election on monday with prime minister almost certain to extend his long grip on power. we have this special report from phnom penh. >> reporter: cambodians go to the polls to say who should run the country for the next five years. this chaotic transformed in recent years into one of the fastest growing economies in southeast asia. the ruling cambodia people's party led by prime minister is
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widely expected to maintain majority in parliament. the cpp currently controls 90 of the 123 seats. he is asia's longest serving prime minister, even after 28 years he shows no intention of stepping aside, insisting his party deserves credit for cambodia's current economic boom. another seven parties are challenging the election. the cambodia national rescue party hopes to mount the strongest challenge. opposition leader last week returned from self-imposed exile after receiving a royal pardon arranged by hunsein. appearances have drawn large crowds of people. cambodians suffer through decades of chaos, so the relative stability of recent years has been broadly welcomed. many in this nation of 14 million have prospered during
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his years in power. but among others, a sense of dissatisfaction is clearly growing. nhk world reports. >> reporter: the ruling cambodia people's party is campaigning hard to extend its dominance for another term. relative stability after decades of conflict. >> translator: the cpp protected our nation. without them the regime might have survived. >> translator: prime minister has propelled this nation from nothing to where we are today. >> reporter: in cambodia, civil servant can participate in election campaign. the ruling party takes advantage
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of that to mobilize massive numbers of state employees. this network give the ruling party the upper hand in election. especially in rural areas which account for 80% of the population. other parties can't compete with the cpp campaign structure. the largest opposition, cambodia national rescue party, tries a different strategy. actively utilizing facebook and other social media. >> translator: tv and radio are controlled by the government, so we use social media to get our message across to voters. >> reporter: the strategy appears to be working. they have seen a rapid increase in support, particularly among those between the ages of 18 and 30 who account for one in three
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voters. >> translator: i check their home page many times a day. if i want accurate information, i can only get it from the website. >> reporter: young cnlp supporters have taken to the streets chanting the word "change." the change they are rooting for includes higher wages and better working conditions. the minimum wage of a factory worker is about $80 a month. some workers complain of abuse by employers and force overtime without pay. this 27-year-old used to work at a garment factory earning just $100 a month. her living conditions were poor.
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in february, she and others went -- police move in to block the strike. she says an officer assaulted her. reports have been spreading in cambodia and often met with violent crackdowns from the police or military. >> translator: the police officer tried to forcibly bend my arm like this to pull me out. then he put his hands around my throat. >> reporter: she escaped with only minor injuries, but she is angry with the government for its treatment of factory workers. >> translator: how can i be satisfied with a government that abuses workers like me? we need a government free from corruption and free from economic discrimination.
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>> reporter: cambodia's economic have been achieved against a backdrop from the minister. the election will be a test of the emerging opposition and its ability to raise support from younger voters eager for change. nhk world, phnom penh. >> and now more analysis. cambodians seem sharply divided in their opinions of the prime minister, yet he's managed to hold onto pu e power for nearly 30 years. how is that possible? >> as we saw the ruling cambodia people's party has powerful support structure. it can promote its policies and candidates using government offices and party organizations, but most cambodians do not feel like they are living in a dictatorship. they come to support for
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creating stability. in 1991, a peace agreement was signed in paris to end cambodia's civil war, but armed conflicts continued leaving the country in a state of chaos. his government called on leaders to surrender. the warring party were disarmed and security improved. the government also built infrastructure using aid from the international community including japan and china. this put cambodia's economy on course to grow. >> but some people remain critical of the autocratic political style, right? >> that has become a major campaign issue. young supporters of the largest opposition, cambodia national rescue party, against ahead of sunday's poll concerned won't be
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able to. young cambodians account for 1.5 million voters or 6% of the elecrate. and that will keep rising before the next election in five years time. it will become even more important to create a system that allows all cambodians to enjoy the benefits of economic growth. that includes better working conditions, reducing poverty and narrowing the gap between the urban class and farmers. >> thank you. and that was nhk world's phin chanda. cambod cambodia's economy has achieved one of the fastest growth rates, but not everyone is sharing in the wealth. the parliamentary election on sunday will be indication of whether cambodians choose stability or equality. nhk will bring you results. for now, reporting from phnom
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penh. japan's postal group is strengthening ties with u.s. life insurer aflac in selling cancer insurance products. the government-owned japan post says it will boost the number of post offices that sell aflac's policies from the current 1,000 to 20,000. the two firms also plan to jointly develop cancer insurance products exclusively for japan post and sell them at post offices in the country. >> translator: this tie-up will enhance profits and greatly contribute to our efforts to get japan post listed on the stock exchange. >> the tie-up may have a positive effect on the ongoing transpacific partnership free-trade talks. the united states has expressed concerns that japan's insurance market isn't fully open to foreign companies. the chairman of aflac japan
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called the tie-up a significant develop in the international society though it's not directly related to government negotiations. toyota motor was ranked top in global auto sales for the first six months this year for a second straight year. sold a total of 4.9 million units worldwide from january to june. the figure was down by 1% from the same period last year, but exceeded general motors and volkswagen. hybrid models show brisk demand in the u.s. this helped to offset declines in japan and china. toyota's domestic sales are down due to the end of subsidies for buyers of ecofriendly cars. sales in china were also sluggish due to trained bilateral relations with japan. toyota aims to sell a record number of worldwide -- sell a record number worldwide that is of just under 10 million vehicles for the whole of this year. here are the latest market
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figures. a wet weekend in eastern asia. rachel ferguson from the weather desk is here with more. rachel. hi there, yes. quite a lot of rain there to report into eastern asia. we're going to start in japan where heavy rain's been ongoing for the northern half of the country. i want to take you to some pictures. this is miyagi prefecture. some record breaking rainfall recorded today, 124 millimeters. and that's just in the space of three hours. now, you can see the floods here
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are really pretty dramatic pictures there. the gutters just overflowing and rivers running into fields there. unfortunately, it looks like it is going to be a wet weekend across much of the country. we've got a low sitting just off the sea of japan coast right here and to the south another front which is bringing heavy rain across from northern china through the korean peninsula and in towards southern japan. so you're going to have a good chance of showers across much of the country. and of course this is falling on already saturated land. it's not just here, but also in northwestern china we've been seeing some heavy rain really adding to those floods. here are some pictures, first of all from northwestern china. the death toll in yan' an now climbed to 42 as of the intense flooding triggered landslides and flash flooding here. and next in gansu province, the same region hit by this week's
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series of deadly earthquakes. flash flooding detroyed 80 homes and stranded 73 residents in a remote village. you can see there some dramatic rescue pictures there. that little baby getting to safety. over 100 soldiers were dispatched to the area to rescue villagers. they created that makeshift bridge to help them all across to safety. and actually just under three hours. so very good job well-done there. unfortunately, it's not just up towards the northwest, the northeast, but down in the south really heavy rain ongoing here too guandong provinces picking up more than 100 millimeters and in some places more than 200 millimeters in the last 24 hours. you're probably going to see the same into the next 24. then we have indochina, you can see those reds popping up. that's a southwest monsoon, very active on both coasts, the west and east coast of indochina. and then also the philippines there's a tropical depression sitting just to the east. it's not going to become a named storm, but it is going to be
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bringing very heavy showers over this weekend. having said that, drought conditions are going to be continuing for places across central china. 39 degrees in shanghai. 36 in chongqing once again strong sunshine here. all right. on into america, we're talking about hawaii, in fact, flossie is another tropical storm we have here heading towards hawaii. it's not expected to become a hurricane and there aren't any watches or warnings, but if you're in the vicinity know the wind and waves are really going to be increased here over the weekend. let's go now to europe to see what's going on. it's quite a split in the weather out west. it's going to be wet and cooler, i'm afraid. then we have the severe area of storms. we get the hot and cooler air masses colliding and can result in storms. and the heat is going to prevail from the southeast and south all the way up towards, well, just south of scandinavia in fact. you're going to see temperatures improving in places like berlin,
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warsaw up to 30 sdegrees as wel. 35 for vienna. here is your extended forecast.
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and to end this edition of "newsline," four singers from the u.s. who are continuing a legacy that captivated the world. the vontraps are the great grandchildren of captain vontrap, the inspiration for the film "the sound of music" and they're performing in japan for the first time. ♪ they treated fans to the most famous songs from the movie. ♪
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>> that's "newsline" for this hour. i'm gene otani in tokyo. 
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